Get on with it! EU REFUSING to discuss rights of Brits in Europe until divorce talks begin

Get on with it! EU REFUSING to discuss rights of Brits in Europe until divorce talks begin

THE European Union is REFUSING to agree on post-Brexit rights of Britons in Europe until full-blown divorce talks have begun, David Davis has said.

PUBLISHED: 11:21, Thu, Dec 1, 2016
| UPDATED: 11:53, Thu, Dec 1, 2016

GETTY

Brexit Minister David Davis said the EU is refusing to discuss British people's rights in Europe

The Brexit Minister said Britain would have liked to quickly resolve the issue of post-Brexit rights of European Union nationals in Britain but needs the bloc's agreement on the reciprocal rights of Britons in the EU.

The EU earlier this week rebuffed a call from pro-Brexit British lawmakers for a quick deal on mutual residence rights for British and EU expatriates, saying it had to wait until full-blown divorce talks began.

Related articles

Mr Davis said: "If were up to us we would have this resolved in months but we have to get the agreement of the European Union too."

He added that Britain had a responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens by not agreeing to a non-reciprocal deal.

GETTY

Mr Davis said Britain would have liked to quickly resolve the issue but needs the bloc's approval

Mr Davis also said that the outcome of a court appeal over whether parliament's approval is needed to begin formal Brexit talks may impact any bill the government eventually has to introduce.

If were up to us we would have this resolved in months

Brexit Minister David Davis

The BBC reported last month that the government had prepared a bill of just three lines which it believed would be "bomb-proof" against amendments by lawmakers who may try and add conditions to the approval.

Top 50 influencers on Brexit

Fri, December 2, 2016

Brexit: Independent experts have drawn up a list of the most influential people on Brexit

The EU rebuffed a call from pro-Brexit British lawmakers for a quick deal on mutual residence rights

Mr Davis said: "On the question of the court case, it isn't just a yes or no outcome... the actual nature of the bill may be influenced by the outcome."

During the same question session in Parliament, junior Brexit minister David Jones said it was "extremely difficult" to see how one part of the United Kingdom could remain part of the single market if the rest did not.